Sunday, March 4, 2012

Summer 2015 UPDATE: You can see my latest recipe for homemade shampoo and conditioner here.

For the last 8 months, I've been off shampoo and conditioner. For years, I'd been using "organic" shampoos and conditioners, but they
are so expensive and I had a hard time finding one that worked well for
my hair (especially since I only wash my hair every other day). When I
started seeing all the blogging craze about not using shampoo, I decided
to give it a try. Now I use baking soda to wash my hair and apple cider vinegar to condition it, and I'll never go back to storebought products!

Why ditch shampoo and conditioner?

Conventional shampoos and conditioners are loaded with chemicals. These chemicals can be absorbed through your skin, and thereby contribute to health problems.

Organic shampoos are very expensive, and many of these still contain questionable ingredients.

Washing your hair with shampoo can strip your skin of its own natural moisturizers.

Baking soda and apple cider vinegar can make your hair look great, and even reduce the number of hair styling products that you need.

How to use baking soda and apple cider vinegar instead of shampoo and conditioner Make the baking soda and apple cider vinegar mixtures:

Thoroughly clean out an old shampoo bottle and and an old conditioner bottle.

In the shampoo bottle, add 1 Tb baking soda for each 8 oz (one cup) of water. In the conditioner bottle, add 1 Tb raw apple cider vinegar for each 8 oz (one cup) water. A funnel is very handy for preventing a mess if your bottles have small openings.

Add water and fill to the top of each bottle. Put the lids on and shake well.

How to use the baking soda and apple cider vinegar mixtures:

Wet your hair. Apply the baking soda mixture to your scalp and roots. I like to just run the shampoo bottle all along the top of my head, which lets a trickle of the solution out. There is no need to apply it all the way to the ends of your hair. Use your fingertips to scrub your scalp.

Thoroughly rinse the baking soda mixture from your hair.

Apply the apple cider vinegar mixture to the scalp and roots of your hair. Once again, there is no need to apply the mixture all the way down your hair. Massage the mixture into your scalp and let it stay on for a few minutes.

Thoroughly rinse your hair. Then rinse it some more. Sometimes, the vinegar solution will grow some tiny SCOBY strands (these are like what is used to make kombucha), so you need to rinse your hair very well to make sure no little bits get left behind.

The dreaded transition period
I started out my no-shampoo experiment by trying to use nothing on my hair, just a nice hot rinse while scrubbing with my fingertips. I had heard that it can take 1-to-4 weeks for the scalp to normalize oil production (since the scalp wants to make more oil after using shampoo that has stripped the natural oils from your skin). I really wanted the no-product method to work, but my hair got so oily during the second week that I had to give up on it (I was embarrassed to leave the house with such a greasy head). I'm sure it didn't help that it was the middle of summer, when my hair tends to be more oily anyway.

Then I switched to using baking soda and apple cider vinegar, and the transition period was much more manageable. I did find it beneficial to wash my hair every day during the transition period. And now I'm back to my usual method of washing my hair every other day, and it works just fine. My hair is actually less oily on the second day than it used to be since my scalp isn't trying to compensate for having all the natural oils stripped from it.

Make sure you try this method for at least a month to give it a fair shot. And be prepared for the fact that your hair will probably feel different using this method than it did using shampoo. My hair feels more soft now, and it also never feels quite so squeaky clean as it did with shampoo. I also find that I don't need to use as many hair products to make my hair look nice (previously, I tended to have lots of fly-aways, but there are many less now). Using baking soda and apple cider vinegar also seems to emphasize the natural curl of my hair.

How to modify the method depending on your hair type
Depending on the time of year and how long my hair is, I modify the baking soda and apple cider vinegar mixtures to make them work better. For instance, in the winter, my hair tends to be more dry, and in the summer it tends to be more oily. It is very easy to tailor the baking soda and apple cider vinegar mixtures to meet the needs of your hair.

If your hair seems overly dry, try one of the following:

Decrease the amount of baking soda

Increase the amount of apple cider vinegar

Decrease the length of time you leave the baking soda mixture on your hair

Increase the amount of time you leave the apple cider vinegar on your hair

If your hair seems overly oily, try one of the following:

Increase the amount of baking soda

Decrease the amount of apple cider vinegar

Increase the length of time you leave the baking soda mixture on your hair

Decrease the amount of time you leave the apple cider vinegar on your hair

Have you tried any natural alternatives to shampoo? What were the results?

I love washing my hair with baking soda and vinegar! I do use a lot more baking soda than you, though. I find that it works best for me to fill my bottle up with baking soda and then add water as needed to make a really thick mixture. I have really oily hair so I guess I just need more baking soda.

The only thing I'm disappointed about is that I still have to wash my hair every day or it looks really greasy and gross. I've been washing my hair like this for almost two years now so I think it's just not going to happen. Apparently I have just have hair that's more oily than most people.

I have a somewhat similar hair washing routine. I use a sea salt and baking soda solution to wash my hair. I have curly hair and noticed years ago that my hair always looks great after I swim in the the ocean, hence using the sea salt to wash my hair. I always have a lot of extra kombucha around the house, so I started using that as my conditioner. It works great and really brings out the curl and shine in my hair.

Oh, sea salt sounds fantastic! I'll try adding some to my baking soda solution. I sometimes use kombucha vinegar in place. Of the ACV, and it works just as well. I think using straight vinegar or kombucha would make my hair a bit too greasy, but everyone's hair is different.

I'm going to assume that those of you using this technique don''t color your hair?My hairstylist uses a specific formaldehyde-free organic formula and at 38 am really gray and I'm not going to change coloring my hair for now. Ten years ago I had bo derek type braids put in to go camping all summer and while my scalp ITCHED (used lavender, tea tree and witch hazel) for 3 weeks really badly, ever since, I only wash my hair once a week to 9 days. I have had long and short hair both in this time. Sure my hair doesn't loook the same everyday, but with the priority being to keep my own oil production in my hair - but also in check - I am ok with the different looks. But I guess my question is - does anyone do the baking soda and acv with colored hair?

Aren't sulfates the culprit in fading color treated hair? I'm interested in trying this even though I color and see what happens. I would think the less often you wash your hair, no matter what you use, the better for the color.

Love this post! I'm planning to try this for my curly hair, but I'm wondering how you deal with the flyaways and tangles? I use a natural mousse for control after shampooing, but I'd love to know if there is another option for me so I can save some money in that regard too. What kind of natural alternative do people with my hair type use for control of frizzies?Would love to know how this works for colored hair too!

Thanks Linda. My hair is somewhat curly, but it is not long (never past my shoulders) and fairly thin; so, I never really have a problem with tangles. But hopefully someone else who has tangly hair will respond to you!

I do typically use a small amount of Giovanni Hair Changer after I shower while my hair is still wet. This is a very lightweight product (it looks like water and is very thin) that just smooths my hair a bit and helps with tangles; one bottle easily lasts me about a year because I only need to use a teeny tiny bit. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ET78C4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=nourisheda-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001ET78C4)

Great, Laurie! I find that, for my young kids, I don't need to use anything at all on their hair. Their hair is never greasy, even without ever using anything like shampoo or conditioner. The only time I wash their hair is if they get something in it, like food, or if they've been sprinkling sand in their hair from the sandbox.

And for tangles, we use a hair brush that has a combination of boor bristles and plastic for my daughter, and it works wonderfully to get the tangles out of her hair (she has thin hair like I do, though, and I've heard these type of brushes don't work very well for thick hair). This hair brush is wonderful because it doesn't seem to ever hurt while I use it, like plastic combs and brushes do. We bought the brush at Target and it is Goodie brand.

I'm sure, though, that if your son is older, the baking soda/ACV could be a good solution.

so i'd like to know a few smaller details about this routine. 1) do you store your BS shampoo in the shower like one does with store bought shampoos and conditioners? 2) do you shower every day to rinse oils and dirts off your skin but not wash your hair? 3) have you tired making your own face wash with similar ingredients?

thank you for answering my Q's so quickly =) here is an recipe and directions from a National Geographic article i found for face wash and exfoliant http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/use-baking-soda-natural-cleaner-face-2832.html - it looks good to me!!

Flax seed gel (you can google it; I use 1 or 1 +1/2 Tbsp whole flax seeds per 1 cup water, boiled 10 min and strained IMMEDIATELY) is an excellent, natural way to control fly-aways :) The nice thing is, you can use a lot and if your hair ends up looking too "gelled", you can just scrunch it and the crunchy look softens to a more natural look. Plus no alcohol to dry out my hair :)

i have been using this new routine for the last 2 weeks and my only issue i seem to be having now is the static! i hate static-y hair, and if anyone else reading this has any ideas i would love to read anything! OH and by the way, i have turned about 4 other people onto this routine just in the last 2 weeks, and i am STILL in a transition period, so my crazy hair isn't a deterrant at all hahah.

Is there any point in doing this for hair that's been over bleached and has broken off somewhat? My hair is a mess and i want to grow it out and start over because of a hair disaster directed by a "professional". Will it just add to the dryness and breakage? Thanks

hello there, i've been hearing a lot about the "no poo" method and I'm trying to figure a way on how to slowly start to get there. I have virgin black hair and I'm kind of wondering if this method won't lighten my hair? because I really don't want that..also, if this alternative is okay to use after you've done natural hair masks such as coconut cream or banana/avocado?thanks

I have dark brown hair, and this does not seem to lighten it at all ( and I've now been using this method for a year). I've never used a hair mask, but this no poo method seems to work fine with everything for me.

Hi, I have pretty flaky hair... I have been doing this O+V method for about a month now. At first it seemed to be better for my scalp (I think it is dry), but lately it seems to be a little worse. I read on a different site that you SHOULDN'T put the vinegar on your scalp, so maybe that's the problem... Do you have any suggestions?

I've been doing this for about a week. My hair looks amazing! I have fine brown hair with a natural wave, no color/treatments.

I keep a tbsp in the shower, as well as an 8oz nalgene squeeze bottle with "cone" lid (bought at container store).

I put 1 tbsp of baking soda in the bottle before I get then the shower. Once in the shower, I fill the bottle with warm water, cover the tip with a finger and shake it. I apply the mixture to my hair. Then, I do the same with the ACV.

I used to use a spray leave-in conditioner (giovanni), but now I don't have to use anything else in my hair.

If my hair gets a little dry at the ends, depending on the weather, I use a teensy bit of oil (jojoba or olive...) on the ends (apply to palms & smooth through).

I use Bob's Red Mill baking soda, Bragg ACV, and I just got a whole house water filter. Before that, I had a shower filter bought at the Vitamin Shoppe. I have the hair I always dreamed I should have!

For so many years, I have been shampooing daily because my hair is very oily. I never thought it is the too much shampooing that is causing this! My hair has gotten so thin because of this. After reading this post, I started the routine using baking soda and ACV. I am in my 4th day now and I find my hair to be less oily for sure! I can't believe it.. I have so much hope that I can re-grow my hair thicker and healthier. Thank you so much! ~Marilou

To the poster with flaky scalp: my husband uses ACV on his scalp and he thinks it's the best thing ever. He's tried so many other products for dry, itchy, flaky scalp. Now he just puts ACV in spray bottle in the shower. He shampoos daily but doesn't use conditioner. Once a week he sprays (after shampooing) w/ the vinegar. He also uses some neem oil once or twice a week & swears it's the best treatment. We buy Dr Hauschka neem hair oil & love it. It's not as smelly as the straight neem oil.

I have alway had dry hair but after moving to the west my scalp is very oily. I switched to organic paraben/ sulfate free shampoo and conditioner but nothing works. My hair is always dry at the ends & my scalp is always oily. I color my hair red so when it gets oily the roots are very noticeable. I'm going to try this baking soda vinegar method & see how it goes. I'm anxious to try pretty much anything. I'm only 30 but my hair is already falling out. Thanks for this post.

Linda, I have curly hair. Downright unruly Irish hair. And this works amazing for me. Been doing it for a year and a half now. My trick is two fold. I do an initial ACV rinse (letting it sit for a minute or two) before the baking soda, then after the second ACV rinse I rub a little coconut oil on the ends of my big tooth plastic comb. It goes through my hair like butter (but not without the coconut oil!). Then I rub a SMALL amount into my hands and get the longer parts and ends a bit more. I let this sit while I shave my legs, then rinse. In the fall I'm more frizzy and find I need to do a tiny bit more oil to my ends once I'm styling my hair. It dries naturally, then I give it a little fluff with the hair dryer to feel stylish. :) You could try the coc oil trick first and see if that's enough, then add the extra ACV rinse if needed. ~Lynda, too

Oh, and a crazy tip I discovered: Every once in a while I go a little overboard with the vinegar and I can smell it in my hair. If I waft an open container of baking soda around my head a few times, it takes it away.

Realized I should add something to this. I do the rinses over all my hair, not just the scalp, otherwise my frizzy curls don't benefit. But, like Sarah talked about lessening baking soda if your hair is dry, I find it very important to not go overboard with the baking soda or my curls dry out and then are more frizzy. I back off if I notice it getting dry after two washes. The vinegar softens my curls so they aren't kinky and frizzy. I only need the baking soda on the long part to counteract the vinegar smell. Also, I've learned to not work my fingers through the long parts unless there's vinegar or coconut oil on my hair, otherwise there's a weird pull that makes my hair pull out. (I've had problems for years with my hair falling out, and this system has helped a lot.) Hope all this can help someone else. :)

I am very interested in trying this technique. Do I just jump in and begin using the mixture? Or do I go without shampooing for a while. I read about the transition phase and I am wondering if that is just referring to my hair adjusting or if I need to slowly transition to the Baking soda and ACV mixture. Also, I know you said adjust it to your specific needs, but do you use 1Tb for each wash?

Just jump in and start using it right away. I mix up a bottle with the baking soda mix and one with the ACV mix. I dispense some from each bottle whenever I wash my hair. With short hair, each bottle probably lasts 5 washes. With medium length hair, each bottle lasts me about 3 washes.

I have used this method for years as my mother was a greeny well before her time. To avoid the smell of the vinegar I fill a large clear glass jar wide mouthed, with rosemary cuttings. Pack it fairly full then fill the jar with vinegar. You can use any type. Apple cider is bestbut if you're on a budget white will do. Leave the jar in the sunlight for a couple of weeks. The sun warms the vinegar and the oil from the rosemary infuses the vinegar with its scent. The oilis not detrimental to those of you with oily hair. I only use one tablespoon of this in a litre jug of water. I have waist length thick hair which stays very healthy. Sea water is good too for your hair, for those that use that method.I also wash my dogs coat with this method too and she has no skin problems.

Thanks to all, specially Sarah for posting such specific info. I have thin brown somewhat oily mid length waves and started using antidandruff products that have made it worse, so am looking very forward to the results. Will also be starting this tomorrow.

so decided to start this today. i used baking soda and regular white vinegar. i was wondering if i could use the baking soda and then a natural conditioner (like from deva curl or sheamoisture products) instead of the vinegar??

I've been using the baking soda and (white vinegar) wash for 2 1/2 weeks now. I've tried it before, but was left with severe residue. Here's what I've been doing different than the last times. RINSE!! A lot! Wash hair as mentioned (with soda) in posts above. Then rinse VERY well (dont miss hair at the temples). I used warm water. Rinse with diluted vinegar a couple of times (catch vinegar rinse in bowl by leaning over edge of tub). Using a hand held showerhead works best. Rinse vinegar out with water. Again, rinse with vinegar a couple more times. Then finish with water rinse. What I found was that when I was rinsing the vinegar out, I could see the residue from the soda flowing into the hair trap on the drain. It was white. The second rinse removed the last of the residue. From what I could come up with in research, apple cider vinegar was more conditioning than regular vinegar. I didn't need extra conditioning. I have fine, flat hair (translate=oily).

I have color treated hair too. I'll give it all a shot and see what happens. My main question is, has anyone used essential oils to scent the shampoo? I love a good smelling shampoo/conditioner. That would be the one thing I wouldn't want to give up.

Hi there, thanks so much for your information. I have started using this method this week, and am quite happy with the results. I initially was looking for a shampoo soap as a way of doing away with those expensive shampoos and conditioners and having endless amounts of plastic bottles. I think I am saving around $20 a month now, with not having to buy shampoo and reducing my carbon footprint as well. So thanks to you for starting this blog ! Penny from Australia.

I have thick, dry, frizzy hair with a lot of different curly textures. I've been flat-ironing my hair for about 12 years now, and I am just so over it!! I'm trying really hard to embrace my natural hair, and I'm basically trying to rehabilitate it by treating it extra nice and natural from here on out :) I'm hoping that my curl pattern will improve and have less frizz.

Using ACV seems to help a lot- I've only tried it a few times here and there. My question is: HOW OFTEN SHOULD ACV BE USED? Is it a once a week type thing? Will it dry my hair out if I use it too much? Thanks for your help and informative posts!

I use the ACV each time I wash my hair with baking soda, which is every other day. The baking soda actually is more drying, the ACV is more of a conditioner. If your hair seems overly dry, try one of the following:

Decrease the amount of baking soda Increase the amount of apple cider vinegar Decrease the length of time you leave the baking soda mixture on your hair Increase the amount of time you leave the apple cider vinegar on your hair

Great info! I've never heard of using these as shampoo and conditioner. I've been using diluted castile soap and I just don't like how my hair feels really. I like it better than the natural shampoo particularly since it's cheap but eh. I will definitely try this! I've recently started doing the oil face wash and it is a dream. I never realized my face was any color other than raw red! (And I use natural soap!)

Some of the other commenters on this post said it worked fine on their very curly/multi-textured hair. I searched a bit on the web too, and found others with kinky hair who use a similar method. Give it a shot! If your hair is very dry, I would recommend doubling the amount of ACV and halving the amount of baking soda. Sme people also mention adding a very small amount of coconut oil to their hair after the ACV rinse. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

Also, do you use any products like hair spray? I washed my hair today with the baking soda and ACV (not raw) and it seemed to have cleaned out the gel and spray I had in it. My hair is permed, has anyone had experience with permed hair and getting perms after switching to this? Thanks again.

I don't know for sure if the ACV "has" to be raw, but that is what I use and am happy with the results. Sorry, I can't answer your question about perms with any certainty, but I would think it would work fine...

PLEASE!!! Have you got any tips for thinning hair? I am 65 years old with SUPER FINE hair, and it is thinning even more every day. I do not use perms, colors or conditioners and do not curl my hair - - just wash it and towel dry, comb into style and go. I keep it short. I have used AC vinegar for a conditioner and final rinse since I was a child. I read something about onion, but have no clue what this is about. Do I rub it on my scalp??? Does it work?? HELP!!!

WHY DOEs you captor thing KEEP INSISTING that one has entered things "not matching the pix shown, when IN FACT ONE HAS?????Please fix this MOST FRUSTRATING boo-boo&Please note an email to contact you at when this happens.

For me, making sure my adrenals.thyroid are healthy has helped lots with hair falling out. When my adrenals were at their worst, there was lots of hair on my pillow every morning, now hardly any if at all.

I color my hair and use baking soda and vinegar ( I also sometimes use rhassoul clay, but not often, as it is quite messy!). The colour doesn't fade any faster than with shampoo...( actually, when I have to re-dye, it is because of the roots, not the fading). I also wash it only once a week (or less if it still looks clean)

This is 5:2 Recipes. A 5:2 app with a receptdel where you while you exercise your 5:2 diet, may become 5:2 chef. You can easily make your own recipes and share with all your friends and 5:2 practitioners.

This app will guide you through your diet and 5:2 and you can track your progress in graphs and easily bring out your daily consumption of calories. You start by inserting your fast days and conditions then you just press start and let the app to remind you.Would you like to change today, do so with a simple touch. When it's fast day puts you simply enter the products you consume and the app counts down your calories.

You can put your weights and measures in tables and follow your curve and development.

A recipe do you do with a few easy steps. You add ingredients from your lists, instructions, times, automatic counting of calories, pictures and so you can share your recipes in social media.

Now you can save your history, make and share recipes while exercising 5:2 healthy diet.

I can't imagine not washing my oily hair with shampoo or soap of some kind--daily. I have PCOS so I have acne and oily hair like a teen even tho I'm old--50 next Jan.I wonder if adding tea tree oil would reduce the oiliness also...I tried using honey for zit cream about 15 yrs ago and that was completely useless....I put a thin layer all over my T-zone after showering daily (use Dr Bronner's for soap) and no benzoyl peroxide. After a few months I quit. It was futile.Maybe my PCOS just makes me hormonally unable to use natural products?I use baking and washing soda and borax for detergent and laundry balls for fabric softener. I wish I could find shampoo that is affordable and truly nontoxic---THAT WORKS.

I would love to have the time in the shower you ladies seem to have in the posts above! I am in and out, squeaky clean, in about 5 min tops...7 min if I shave my underarms. Where do you ppl buy your extra time??? I want some :0Signed,An overwhelmed homeschool mom :)

I have go through your site,If you want to know more about this please visit our blog:-The shampoo for natural hair must try to help clean the hair without necessarily causing any hair fall. The curly hair products are meant to be really good in the long run. The natural hair weave is something that has become very popular in recent times. The natural hair products are massively useful for those not liking synthetic stuff.

I found this face mask, which I love! Left my face soft! I made another batch and used it as a shampoo. Going to use it for both once a week now! It gave my limp hair body! :) 1/2 tsp honey 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp olive oil. Mix well. Apply and leave for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Good bye store bought hair/face products!!! :)

Hi. I am so glad to find this post. I have intermittent itchy scalp. The Pine tree shampoo works, but it has started to make my once beautiful sections white hair on my grey head of hair turn to a dingy yellow. Does anyone have any idea if this recipe will help restore the white?

There have various problem of oily hair. It is not always good for us. If our hair is oily, the glands blocked the scalp hole with dust, therefore causing scalp problem like dandruff, scalp psoriasis and the oily hair. Sometime it creates an uneasy situation for us. The other problem of oily hair is that sometime smell bed which is embarrassing for us.

About Me

I am a homeschooling mother of two and homeopathic practitioner. My family has been following a nourishing, traditional diet (based on the research of Weston A. Price) since 2005. More recently, my family followed the GAPS diet for over 18 months. I am a chapter leader for the Las Cruces chapter of the Hunt Gather Grow Foundation, a co-leader for the Las Cruces chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and a regular contributor to Real Food and Health magazine. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, yoga, gardening, photography, writing, and anything that allows me to make a spreadsheet.

Our Homeschool Philosophy

Handy Reference for Acute Illnesses

Traditional Foods Preparation

Play is *Essential* to Learning

My Favorite Book for Choosing the Right Homeopathic Remedy for Coughs, Colds, and Flus

See What Dr. Price Actually Found

Disclaimer

I am not a doctor or licensed healthcare professional. I am a homeopathic practitioner whose services are considered complementary and alternative by the state of New Mexico. Feel free to use the information on this site to learn more about health, but I am not responsible for anything you do with the information.

Links to Amazon and Corganic are affiliate links. If you use these links, your price remains the same, but I earn a small commission. Thanks for supporting this site!

Unless otherwise noted, all content is the property of Nourished and Nurtured. Simple theme. Powered by Blogger.